Teaching & Learning Innovation is excited to announce that our call for proposals is NOW OPEN for our virtual 2025 Innovative Teaching and Learning Conference. This year’s conference theme is:
Cultivating Academic Success: The Synergy Between Fostering Authenticity and Transformation in Teaching and Learning
This theme underscores the importance of creating an effective learning environment where authenticity and transformation work together to enhance teaching and learning success for instructors and students. A learning community characterized by authenticity is one where students and instructors engage in honest self-expression and interactions that facilitate greater perspective taking, meaning-making, trust, and engagement. Transformational teaching and learning environments involve meaningful growth through the educational process. In such contexts, students and instructors experience changes in their perspectives, knowledge, and skills by mutually engaging in curiosity, challenging assumptions, and developing new habits, roles, and behaviors. Such environments equip participants to critically evaluate and assess emerging problems and arrive at innovative solutions.
Date: Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (EDT)
Location: Virtual Event
We invite you to submit your proposal and share your research, experiences, and ideas on how to cultivate an environment where authenticity and transformation foster teaching and learning success.
To guide your submission and help you align your ideas with our conference goals, we have outlined our conference formats, designated tracks, and scoring rubric.
Conference Formats
We offer four conference formats for your participation, each designed to facilitate unique interactions and knowledge-sharing opportunities. We encourage you to choose the format that best aligns with your presentation style and objectives, enhancing the overall experience for both you and your participants. Here are the formats with their brief descriptions:
Poster Session (50 minutes)
The poster session offers an interactive and engaging format for presenters to showcase their research and ideas. In this format, presenters display digital posters and engage in real-time discussions with participants.
Presentation (50 minutes)
A presentation format offers the presenter(s) the opportunity to introduce and share content through slides, visuals, or other media to enhance participants’ understanding. The format can foster audience engagement by including interactive elements like Q&A sessions, polls, and chats.
Roundtable Discussion/Panel (50 minutes)
A roundtable discussion/panel format is designed to facilitate informal conversations among the presenter(s) and participants. The primary aim is to encourage open dialogue, share insights, experiences, and best practices related to the topic.
Workshop (100 minutes)
Workshop session involves presenters engaging participants in practical learning experiences and encouraging active involvement. The primary aim is to deepen skills and understanding through hands-on applications.
Conference Designated Tracks
There are six designated tracks for proposal submissions. Each track focused on different topics, allowing you to align your proposal with relevant areas of interest. We encourage you to select the track that best fits your proposal’s focus, allowing you to share your insights and contribute meaningfully to our vibrant academic community. Here are the six tracks and their brief descriptions:
1. Inclusive Teaching Pedagogy
- The Inclusive Teaching Pedagogy track is dedicated to strategies and practices that create equitable and inclusive learning environments for all students. Proposals should emphasize aspects that recognize and value diverse backgrounds, identities, and abilities, ensuring that every student feels welcomed, respected, and supported in their educational journey.
2. High-Impact Practices (HIPs)
- The HIPs track invites proposals that focus on active learning strategies that enhance student engagement and promote deep learning. They should highlight evidence-based approaches that help students achieve deep learning, gain personal growth, foster engagement, close equity gaps, etc.
3. Strategies that Foster Student Success and Well-Being
- The Strategies that Foster Student Success and Well-Being track is dedicated to holistic approaches that support both the academic and personal development of students. Proposals should emphasize innovative strategies, programs, and/or practices designed to enhance student success while promoting well-being.
4. Emerging Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
- The SoTL track invites proposals that explore evidence-based research on teaching practices and student learning. Proposals should aim to bridge the gap between theory and practice by encouraging individuals to share their research findings, innovative methodologies, and/or reflections on pedagogical strategies.
5. Technology Innovations that Foster Deeper Learning
- The Technology Innovations that Foster Deeper Learning track invites proposals that emphasize advancements in educational technology and their impact on enhancing student engagement, comprehension, and/or retention. Proposals submitted to this track should highlight technological tools, methodologies, etc. that promote deeper learning experiences.
6. Innovative Practices across Teaching Modalities
- The Innovative Practices across Teaching Modalities track seeks submissions that highlight creative and effective approaches to teaching in various formats. This track encourages individuals to showcase methods that enhance learning experiences and outcomes.
Rubric for ITLC
Keep in mind the criteria that the selection committee is considering. You can also click here to see 2 exemplary proposals from previous years that fit our criteria.
Please note: these proposals are for educational purposes only and not to be replicated or reused.
Theme: Cultivating Academic Success: The Synergy Between Fostering Authenticity and Transformation in Teaching and Learning
Each proposal is blind-reviewed by a selection committee using this scoring rubric. Unfortunately, not all submitted proposals will be invited to participate in the conference. Abstracts of accepted proposals will appear in the conference program.
Our current Call for Proposals deadline is Friday, January 17, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Notification of decision on proposals will be made in February. We reserve the right to make any changes as it relates to time allotment and/or placement in the program.
If you have any questions about the virtual conference or proposal submission process, please email Teaching & Learning Innovation at tli@utk.edu